There were some interesting comments on yesterday's Montauk hipster motel post. (Readers managed to avoid the D word for once. Well done!) "So this really means that when these properties are sold/renovated/upgraded it's not to improve Montauk's motel standards, it's more about adding on more bars and selling booze, with convenient rooms within stumbling distance to pass out in, correct?" "..and also then when the investment idea people chase the investment scenario in reality, circumlocating the booze coordinates accurately is of possible maximizing the investment possibilities of it all in reality." "oh come on.. I love Montauk and have been here for 30+ years but friends who've stayed at the old hotels said they're overpriced dank smelly dumps. It's about time new investors put money into them.. way overdue! seriously, who's going to miss the old Gurney's?"
We think that what bugs about the hipsterfication of Montauk is that it fundamentally changes the nature of the town. No, no one is going to miss the awful Ronjo with its dank rooms. But the Montauk Beach House and its ilk are alien to what many loved about Montauk. Montauk used to be a fishing village where middle class people could spend the summer. Its old motels were generally family run. We have a large collection of old Montauk postcards, and on many of them the owners' name is printed along with the words "Your hosts." Margie's Cottages, "Your hosts Bob and Margie Lewis." The owners generally lived in Montauk, loved the place, and took care of their business themselves. That was true of Gurney's as well.
In no sense is Chris Jones our host at the Montauk Beach House. He's taking what used to be a family motel and making it a boutique hotel for youthful Wall Street types. Of course, it's a business and more power to him if he can run a successful business doing what he does. It's just not what Montauk used to be about. Thoughts?
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